In certain automotive seating configurations, it may be desirable for one or more of the interior occupant seating assemblies to be selectively decouplable from the vehicle body. For example, in multi-passenger vehicles, such as vans or sport-utility vehicles, second or third row occupant seating may be entirely removed and/or stowed to increase cargo storage space. Alternatively, second row seating may be selectively decoupled from the vehicle only at one end such that it may articulate away from the vehicle floor and provide easier ingress/egress to/from a third row of seating.
To provide for the selective decoupling, the occupant seating assembly may include a latch mechanism that is configured to engage and/or couple with a rigid portion of the vehicle. For example, the latch mechanism may be configured to selectively interconnect with a rod-like striker that may be integrated into the floor of the vehicle. In one embodiment, the striker may be provided beneath the surface of the vehicle floor, such as within a well-like channel. When engaged, the latch mechanism may be configured to grasp the striker in a manner that generally prevents the seating assembly from being lifted or separated from the vehicle.